reader question: writer’s block?

A reader emailed to ask if I ever suffer from writer’s block.

I do not. I think I used to, a really long time and four or five million words ago, but not any more. After 92 novels, I have a pretty good grasp of story structure, so I have a hard time writing myself into a corner. It’s not impossible, of course, but outlining in advance helps to avoid that.

If you ever find yourself suffering writer’s block, there are two easy ways to get out of it. 1.) Have the characters suffer, or 2.) have the characters experience setbacks on the way to their goals, or 3.) even better, both.

Like, if you’re writing a fantasy novel about a knight seeking a magic sword to slay a dragon, have someone else steal the sword first. Or the dragon secretly swaps the sword with a fake. If you’re writing a detective novel or a thriller, have the hero get thrown off the case, or falsely accused of misconduct. Throwing speed bumps in front of your characters is a great way to get out of writer’s block.

Now, saying “I don’t have writer’s block” sounds boastful, so I will say that while I don’t get writer’s block, I do get tired sometimes. On occasion I know where the story is going and exactly what to write next, but my energy is low, and I’d really rather drink a refreshing beverage and play Mount & Blade or Super Mario Brothers or something.

There are two mental techniques to deal with this. 1.) Perspective. Writing is sitting in a comfortable chair pressing buttons. Objectively, it’s not that hard. It’s not like I’m digging ditches, pouring asphalt, restraining violent drug addicts, or shoveling out horse stalls. 2.) Just power through it. Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins, after all. No matter how much you enjoy something, there are times you’re not going to want to do it, so you’ve just got to buckle down and get on with it.

And you can always reward yourself with Super Mario Brothers later. 🙂

-JM